Professor John W. Sawkins
Professor John W. Sawkins
Professor of Economics
MA, MSc, PhD, PFHEA
Having completed his undergraduate and postgraduate degrees at the Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow, Professor Sawkins took up his first lecturing position at the University of Aberdeen in 1992, before moving to Heriot-Watt University in 1995. Appointed Professor in 2008, he has served as Head of Department (Accountancy, Economics and Finance), Dean (Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences) and, from 2012 to 2022, Pro-Vice-Chancellor / Deputy Principal (Education and Student Life).
Areas of interest
- Regulatory Economics, Economic History
Qualifications
- MA (hons) Economics and Accounting (Economics), University of Edinburgh
- MSc (econ) Scottish Doctoral Programme in Economics (Economics), University of Glasgow
- PhD (Faculty of Social Sciences), University of Edinburgh
Background
Professor Sawkins's academic background is as an economist with research interests in the economic regulation of the water industry, with particular reference to water pricing, affordability and debt, and the economics of religion, especially the financing of Scottish church denominations in the 19th and early 20th century. He has served as a member of water industry consumer bodies and has advised economic regulatory bodies in Scotland and the rest of the UK. His extensive experience in university quality assurance has included membership of the UK Standing Committee for Quality Assessment (UKSCQA) and QAA (Scotland)’s Scottish Higher Education Enhancement Committee (SHEEC). Between 2016 and 2019 he served as an Academic Panel Member for the UK’s Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), and he is currently a Board member of the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA).